For over ten years, the founder of POUF worked as a consultant for a UN agency. By night, she bookmarked the vintage treasures she loved but couldn't always afford. Until one evening, her partner whispered a question: why not try selling them?
By day, she worked as a consultant for a United Nations agency. By night, she did what many people with a slightly consuming passion do: she compulsively bookmarked vintage objects online—beautiful things she loved but could not afford.
After more than a decade in consulting, she launched a self-funded climate tech startup. The budget was tight, her young daughter was obsessed with unicorns, and that virtual collection of beautiful things kept growing. One evening, her partner watched her scroll through another bookmarking session and asked a simple question: why not try to sell them? That was the spark for POUF.
Her first commercial instinct, however, was off.
She bought wrought-iron candlesticks and terracotta jugs, convinced this was what people wanted to see. She tried staging them in her own home, photographed the setup, and hated the result. The images felt forced; the objects didn't feel like her. In the end, she deleted everything from her newly created Instagram account.
Her true obsession lay in silver-toned tableware. She began searching for steel cups by Guido Bergna, which are hard to find in good condition, and eventually gathered the courage to contact a few stylists to share her curation. The first cups sold instantly. She followed them with silverware sourced from French brocantes, silver-plated shells, and other small, everyday treasures.
Even today, her criteria when sourcing for POUF comes down to a single question: would I want to live with this object?
Taste
Copenhagen · UN consultant by day · Collector by night · Saved folders · 11 PM scrolling · Guido Bergna · Silver-toned tableware · French brocantes · Setting the table
